Council improvements to Rozelle Interchange ignored – Government pays price

The sheer stupidity of the WestConnex project has been revealed yet again with the State Government unable to find a single contractor willing or able to construct the ill-thought out Rozelle interchange.

This news comes following the Sydney Motorway Corporation’s complete disregard of improvements suggested by Inner West Council during the Design Plan consultation for the interchange.

Mayor of Inner West Council Cr Darcy Byrne said that the State Government had shown its arrogance yet again.

“They say some enterprises are too big to fail, but now we know that this interchange is too big to succeed,” he said.

“We’re local and we’re bearing the brunt of this project,

“We don’t want this project to drive any more destruction through the heart of our community. We know the local area, and what will work and what won’t.

“We suggested some practical and realistic changes that would have improved the interchange and lessened its impact on our residents and businesses. It would also have made it less of an engineering absurdity.

“We gave them good advice, but it’s clear the State Government isn’t listening to anyone.”

Inner West Council engaged independent consultants to assess the Stage 3 M4-M5 Link Design Plans and submitted a comprehensive submission that called for fundamental redesigns of the interchange that would improve the project and mitigate impacts on local people.

This included a more direct connection to Sydney Airport and Port Botany and abandonment of surface connections to Anzac Bridge, City West Link, The Crescent and Johnston Street from the proposed Rozelle interchange to better manage traffic and amenity impacts.

“It’s clear the State Government is doing its best to shut us out of the consultation,” said Cr Byrne.

“But given the shambolic way this project has been implemented they’ve got a lot to learn from Council and the community.”

Council is racing to form a Submission to the Environmental Impact Statement before the close of submission date of 16 October – ridiculously close to the election of the new Council in September.